Many recording devices are equipped with functionalities of continuous data recording, wherein the recorded data is generally stored to a storage device. Typical recording devices include cameras with image recording capability and audio recording devices, such as digital voice recorders. The amount of data created per unit time, a definition for bitrate, varies among the recording devices used to generate recorded data. Some of those devices are able to generate recorded data with very high bitrates. On the other hand, available storage devices of different grades provide different writing speeds, which are also influenced by the sizes and operating environment of the storage devices.
Several issues exist in such typical systems when the recording device attempts to write recorded data to the storage device. When the amount of recorded data created in a unit time period by the recording device exceeds the writing speed of the storage device, the data write operation fails, and so does the data recording. In other words, the storage device is not fast enough to receive and store the data generated by the recording device. To resolve this issue, the storage device would need to be replaced by one with higher writing speed, or the recording device would need to be configured to a lower bitrate. Because of the recording bitrate reduction, the quality of the records stored in the storage device is reduced.
For example, a camera can store continues image data to an SD card attached to the camera. If the camera is adjusted to a high resolution setting, a large amount of image data will be generated per unit time. The high bitrate of the image data increases the requirement for the minimum writing speed of the SD card, meaning high cost for the images recorded. Alternatively, if an SD card with a lower writing speed is used, the recording bitrate of the camera would need to be reduced to accommodate the lower writing speed of the SD card, sacrificing the quality of the images recorded.
Therefore, there is a need for a system and method for accommodating storage devices with various speeds while maintaining the quality of the recorded data and maximizing the capacity of the storage device.